Subscribe to our mailing list.
On-the-Cheap: New York
Be a tourist in New York, and keep more of your dollars with these suggestions. There are many free or cheap things you can do. Getting the flavor and feel of New York does not need to cost a lot of your dollars. Here are some ways to enjoy the New York life for less:
Free Map of Manhattan
To get your bearings and the lay-of-the-land, check out this map of Manhattan. Manhattan is divided into sections like the Upper West Side, the Upper East Side, Chelsea, Carnegie Hall, and the Financial District. Anyone of these areas would be a great home base and have tons of tourist interests. Once you are in Manhattan, there are plenty of places to get a free map; just ask at any hotel desk. This map is just to help you plan your visit.
Free Greeters
Big Apple Greeters offers free, personalized tours of New York City led by a volunteer Greeter. There are over 400 active volunteer Greeters who are available to give you insider tips and helpful advice to make your visit to New York City the best that it can be. A volunteer Greeter will show you a favorite neighborhood, answer your questions, and demonstrate how easy it is to use public transportation. More people want to use the Big Apple Greeter service than there are Big Apple Greeters, so register ahead of time.
For More Info: call (212) 669-8159 or email information@bigapplegreeter.org or visit www.bigapplegreeter.org
Cheap Eats
Eating in New York can be economical. First, ask your host or a nearby hotel for a good place to eat for little dollars. Visit a grocery store or ask a local person. A hotel might get a commission and send you to a more expensive place. Notice little shops with fresh fruit; they probably sell sandwiches and drinks, too. For some great tips on places to eat, read this article that lists various ratings of places according to “stars”--The 101 Best Cheap Eats. One of my favorite supermarkets was the Amish Market. It has many options for groceries in addition to a fresh food area. They even had tables where I could sit to eat the salad or sandwich that I bought. The Amish Market is a little out of the way, not on the beaten path, because they rely on locals for their business. But, they welcome tourists! Jim Eats New York is a great website to see Jim’s recommendations for cheap places to eat lunch. He grades based on good food and under $6.00. It’s a simple but very helpful website.
For More Info: visit www.amishfinefood.com or www.jimeatsnewyork.com or nymag.com
Free Cruise
The world's "greatest and shortest" water voyage is free. The Staten Island Ferry provides 20 million people a year (60,000 passengers a day not including weekend days) with ferry service between St. George on Staten Island and Whitehall Street in lower Manhattan.
For More Info: visit www.siferry.com
Free Gallery
The Forbes Galleries are a unique treasure trove of collectibles located in the heart of Greenwich Village. Permanent exhibits include Toy Boats, Toy Soldiers, Monopoly and Trophies. For example: The Monopoly® game passed through many stages of evolution before it was marketed by Parker Brothers in the form familiar to us all today. On view are several versions of the world’s most popular board game: the Monopoly® game’s forerunner, the Landlord’s Game (1920); Charles Todd’s rendition introducing Atlantic City street names (1932); and Charles Darrow’s homemade set (1933). Changing exhibits have included galleries such as Picture, Carrere, Hastings, Jewelry and Recent Publications. Tucked within the lobby of the Forbes Magazine’s headquarters in New York City, the Galleries are open free to the public 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays. Thursdays are reserved for group tours and advance reservations are required.
For More Info: call 212-206-5548 or visit www.forbesgalleries.com
Free Amusement
A toy store worth visiting with an indoor Ferris wheel, young visitors to New York City are sure to love checking out Toys 'R Us in Times Square. Don't miss out on the life-sized T-rex or the 4,000 ft Barbie house in Toys 'R Us. Even if you don't have any children with you, visit Toys 'R Us in Times Square.
For More Info: visit www.toysrus.com/timessquare
Visit a Castle
Sitting high atop Vista Rock (the second highest natural elevation in the park) Belvedere Castle provides a panoramic view in almost every direction. It is also perhaps the most magical monument in Central Park, one that combines function, form and romance - all in one convenient, central location. It was designed originally in 1865 by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould as a Victorian “Folly” (a fantasy building) that would provide an overlook to the scenic splendors around it. The views include the Delacorte Theater, home to the very popular Shakespeare in the Park series, the newly restored, 55-acre Great Lawn, once one of the Park's original reservoirs and, directly below, Turtle Pond.
Located at Mid-Park at 79th Street, 10am-5pm, Tuesday- Sunday.
For More Info: call (212) 772-0210 or visit belvedere-castle.html
Free Shakespeare
If you can get a company to be a summer sponsor (which is 100% tax deductible), then for every $100, you get a free ticket. But, if you need to wait in line for your free tickets, then some tips for a more pleasant (because the wait could be several hours) include:
- Get there early, between 8:00 am to 10:00 am
- Bring a blanket and chair for the wait
- Have all group members together in line
- Bring a book or some portable music
- Consider the weather (sunscreen, umbrella, jacket)
- Bring a bagged lunch
- Bring hand sanitizer (while there is a bathroom, it is a public one)
For More Info: visit the New York Classical Theatre
Free Exhibit: The Gutenberg Bible
This exhibition will be returning Fall 2008 and can be seen at Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street.
About The Gutenberg Bible: The first substantial printed book in the West is the royal-folio two-volume Bible on display, comprising nearly 1,300 pages and printed in Mainz on the central Rhine by Johann Gutenberg (ca. 1390s–1468) in the 1450s. Probably completed between March and November 1455, when Gutenberg’s bankruptcy deprived him of his printing establishment, the Bible epitomizes Gutenberg’s triumph, arguably the greatest achievement of the second millennium. Over possibly twenty or more years, at Mainz and perhaps at Strasbourg, he succeeded in developing printing from movable type.
Perhaps some 180 copies of the Gutenberg Bible were originally produced, including about 45 on vellum. Of these, 48 integral copies survive, including eleven on vellum. The Lenox copy on display, printed on paper, is the first Gutenberg Bible to come to the United States, in 1847. Its arrival is the stuff of romantic national folklore. James Lenox’s European agent issued instructions for New York that the officers at the Customs House were to remove their hats on seeing it: the privilege of viewing a Gutenberg Bible is vouchsafed to few.
For More Info: call 917-ASK-NYPL (917-275-6975)
Free Exhibit: Art Deco Design
Starting September 12, 2008, at Humanities and Social Sciences Library at Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, you can view the 1920's and 1930's Art Deco Style's incredible energy. You’ll see boldly graphic plate books, portfolios, and masterworks of the pochoir stencil print technique from the Library’s Art & Architecture Collection.
The Art Deco Design: Rhythm and Verve exhibition offers a reappraisal of the style’s most notable features and its often-overlooked legacy to modern art. Starting with key Art Nouveau designs that reveal the origins of the Art Deco impulse, the exhibition presents developing traits that move through the 1920s and into the next decade. Aspects of the style’s legacy can be seen in the first volume of the significant art journal Verve (1937-60), a review of art and literature that took root from the fertile soil of mature Art Deco, and in the innovative works of Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979), an avant-garde painter and designer, whose brightly colored and geometrically-shaped creations demonstrate the union of fine art and commercial design aesthetics.
For More Info: call 917-ASK-NYPL (917-275-6975)
Cheap Zoo
Enjoy the Central Park Zoo for free if you are selected to be a volunteer. If you feel you have the time and would enjoy;
- Teaching schoolchildren and other visitors about animals and conservation
- Giving guided tours and exhibit chats
- Narrating sea lion and penguin feedings
But, if you simply want to visit, then pay a small admission fee. There is no group rate for schools or other groups. The admission rate is $3 for children (ages 3–12), $8 for adults (ages 13 and up), and $4 for senior citizens. Cash or school check accepted at the gate. They ask for a ratio of 1 adult to 10 children. Your school or group does not need to make a reservation to visit the Central Park Zoo. A member of the admissions staff will take care of your group once you arrive at the gate.
View their map to see all the animal exhibit spots. You won't be bored!
For More Info: visit www.nyzoosandaquarium.com
Free Movies
In the summertime, every Monday at sunset, treat yourself and your friends to classic movies like “Dr. No,” “Arsenic and Old Lace,” and Robert Redford's timely “The Candidate.” Best of all, they’re free. For 16 years visitors have enjoyed movie flicks under the New York stars. Grab a blanket and a picnic lunch and chill out!
For More Info: visit film festival
Free Kayaking on the Hudson
Join the Downtown Boathouse for 20-minute instructional paddles and explore the Hudson River firsthand. Please wear a bathing suit or shorts and a t-shirt, and know how to swim.
Weather permitting. For daily weather status call (646) 613-0740.
Saturdays & Sundays, May 17 – October 12; 10:00 a.m.– 5:00 p.m. FREE. No sign up required. Come anytime between these hours. Located at Riverside Park, 72nd Street and the Hudson River.
For More Info: call (212) 408-0219
Free Ice Skating
Visit Rockefeller Center and be in awe of the rink that visitors have skated on since the 1930's, but don't pay to skate there. Take your skates and go to Bryant Park. The Pond at Bryant Park has free ice-skating.
For More Info: visit www.thepondatbryantpark.com
Affordable Accommodations: Vacation Rentals By Owners
Apartment rentals for the Manhattan area can be found here.
Choose either of these areas of Manhattan and be in the heart of it all: Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Chelsea, Carnegie Hall, or the Financial District.
Rent a one bedroom, cook some of your own meals, and save a bundle. One-bedroom rentals average for about $200 a night, and certainly can go higher. Often, there are specials, so watch for them. You might even be able to split the costs of a two bedroom with another couple and save even more. A good example of an apartment is listing #158042, a one bedroom that can sleep up to 4 people. Recently, the Hamiltons of Scotland said of listing #158042, "This apartment was perfect for our first visit to New York. It is ideally situated, with easy access to transport and plenty of shops and restaurants on your doorstep. This beat staying in a hotel any day! My wife, daughter and I loved it and we would certainly recommend it."
For More Info: visit www.vrbo.com
Affordable Accommodations: Hostels
Just want a bed? Willing to meet people from all over the world? Want the cheapest option? Other than sleeping in a tent, try a hostel. You can book a bed at hostels.com. Read reviews online from people who have stayed at that hostel. If you are flexible and willing to travel light, this is a great option. In New York City, prices range from $35.00 - $60.00 a night. Some are quite stylish and some might include a meal. Look at some New York options here.
For More Info: visit www.hostels.com
A Favorite Free Resource
Daily listings of free activities and events are noted at Club freeTime. They provide members with many benefits, including:
- Listings of free entertainment throughout Manhattan
- Large discounts on selected paid concerts and performances
- Exclusive events for Club freeTime Members, such as concerts and discussion groups
It seems almost every day that there is some free event going on, so use this to plan your next trip to New York.
For More Info: visit www.clubfreetime.com
Free Suggestions
- Plan your trip in advance
- Keep to a Budget
- Make meals
- Carry a backpack
- Go with friends (you can often split expenses)
- Plan the itinerary in close proximity to reduce cab fare
- Bring sneakers
- Take lots of pictures
- Tell me about your New York trip, and I can add any cheap choice to my list
Fran
Visit our sponsors.
